In September, a diamond trader was attacked in a North Dallas Bank parking lot by three masked robbers. This was not surprising to police. They have long been convinced that jewelers are being kept under surveillance before they even arrive in Dallas. And this trader’s attack was not the first of its kind.
In 2008, a 28-year-old broker was attacked in the same way—in a parking lot, by masked robbers who stole $500,000 in diamonds at knifepoint. Police said that it was a professional job and believed the broker had been followed for some time. The robbery was part of a wave of daring, sophisticated, well-planned jewelry heists that year. No one was ever apprehended.
Four years later, it happened again: another rash of armed robberies with the same M.O., targeting jewelers from Hong Kong and Germany. For example, $700,000 in gemstones were taken by an armed gang. And again, the mystery went unsolved.
After the September theft, the Israeli Diamond Industry said, “It is known that a violent gang of robbers operates routinely in Dallas.” They warned jewelers to hire security guards and to leave the city by plane only, as the recent robbery again raises the question of who was behind the 2008 attacks.
